Facing Up to Pride and Ego

As I start the writing of yet another book, I face again the problem of what I call Writer's Ego. It's what I call this sense that my book HAS to be one way or another, a specific length or a particular writing style, so that I can look good.

It's kind of like what some people struggle with when they begin to operate in the gift of prophecy. They have a particular idea of what a prophet is supposed to sound like and talk like, and so they end up sounding weird, fake and artificial.

(For the record, I am a charismatic and believe that the gift of prophecy is still valid for today. I believe that claiming that it is no longer available for today's Christian is to make significant parts of the New Testament irrelevant. And I am very uncomfortable with any theology that does that!)

Some, for example, try to speak in King James Version English to make themselves sound more impressive. Either that, or they add on more than what they are supposed to say because they have this subconscious idea that they have to prophesy a few chapters worth of material for it to be counted as a valid prophecy.

Hmmm... this seems very related to me feeling the need to write in a more academic tone and fulfil a certain quota of words and pages in order to make my next book more impressive than my first!

By the way, this speaking in weird English isn't something that only charismatics do. I remember once during my university days there was an anti-charismatic who circulated to my cell group his arguments against certain charismatic beliefs. What irritated me the most was not his doctrinal errors or logical fallacies; it was his pitiful attempt at writing like Charles Spurgeon when he did not have the necessary grasp of the English language to do it.

(That, and some of the most horrendous spelling mistakes ever. I almost vomited when he claimed that a particular scripture was from 1st Timidity!)

Now just because someone writes in an academic tone or tries to speak King James English doesn't mean that they are trying to puff themselves up and look impressive. I for one spent a lot of time getting the academic tone OUT of my writing, because almost all earlier my writing was for school exams and assignments. So I had a very strong academic tone in my writing.

And yes, I sometimes slip back!

And I can imagine a believer who only reads the King James Version of the Bible, or a version that is similar in language and grammar, prophesying in that language style if he or she spends hours each day reading that Bible aloud.

But it is a struggle to keep the ego and pride out of what we do. The need to look more impressive, especially when you do not feel that confident, is really powerful. And that applies whether we are talking about prophesying or writing a book on how to recruit, understand and lead church musicians and singers!

So what do I want my next book to be like? I pray that it will be like Haggai's prophecy, recorded for us in this passage of Scripture:

Haggai 1:13-14 (NIV) - Then Haggai, the LORD's messenger, gave this message of the LORD to the people: "I am with you," declares the LORD. So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spiritof the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God.

I want my next book to be as simple and succinct as possible, just like Haggai's prophecies in general. It HAS to be, because of all the ground I need to cover with it! And yet I want it also to stir up the spirits those who read it, to give them the understanding and courage they need to serve the LORD effectively in the worship ministry.

So will I succeed? That really remains to be seen. But I can promise you that I am taking the whole writing process seriously. I am also spending dedicated time in the Scriptures so that my mind will be more tuned to God's frequency.

Will I be able to keep the Writer's Ego out of this book? When the book is ready, you be the judge!


P.S. To find out more about the next book and pre-order it, head over to
http://invisibleworshipmusician.com/nextbook.htm now!